Attachment and Detachment

Attachment and Detachment.

7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 [a]Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. 9 Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; 10 no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter a house, wish it peace. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.[b]-Matthew10:7-13

When my friends and I would meet before, we have to wait and wait for the late person to arrive. Now, with phones readily available, we can proceed with other things and the late person will just catch up. With this, we can accomplish much rather than sitting and waiting for the late comers to arrive. I remember this experience when I read the Gospel reading because so many would say, 'I cannot live without a phone. I would die.' But the truth is, we can. I lived at a time when mobile phones are for the ultra elite only. No one can afford it. No one even wants to use it because it seems so expensive before. But now, everybody has one and is very affordable. It is true that it has many uses. But it is also true that we can live without it. Jesus today is teaching us about attachment and detachment. Too much detachment is not good. Too much attachment is not good too. What we all need is a balance of attachment and detachment. What we all must learn is the capacity to recognize and meet our needs (i.e. basic and daily needs), and letting go of the things that we want but not needed at all (i.e. a new phone when we already have one or a new bag when we still have one or two that can still be used).